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The working title of this film was Teenage Killers. Although the opening credits indicate that Headliner Productions copyrighted the film in 1956, it is not included in the Copyright Catalog. The Los Angeles Examiner review credits Franz Eichorn as director, but no other source lists this name, and the viewed print listed William M. Morgan, whose given name was listed as "Wm." onscreen, as director. Some modern sources credit Headliner Productions executive Roy Reid as producer, writer and director of the film; however, his name does not appear in available contemporary sources. No story or screenplay credit appeared in the viewed print, but most modern sources attribute the screenplay to Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film opens with an offscreen narrator speaking over a scene featuring the characters "Paula Parkins," "Phyllis," "Geraldine" and "Georgia. " In the scene, each girl pauses by a schoolroom blackboard on which the words "Good Citizenship," "Self Restraint," "Politeness" and "Loyalty" are written in chalk. The narrator states: "This is a story of violence, of violence born in the uncontrolled passions of adolescent youth, and nurtured by this generation of parents. Those who in their own smug little world of selfish interests, and confused ideas of parental supervision, refuse to believe today's glaring headlines. But it has happened. Only people and places have been given other names." Modern sources add the following information about the film: The Violent Years was based on a story titled "Teenage Killers" by Roy Reid and was made for a cost of $38,000. Harry Keaton appeared in the film as a physician. Additional working titles cited in modern sources are Girl Gang Terrorists and Teenage Girl Gang. According to some modern sources, The Violent Years was re-released in 1966 under the title Female.